


over on the castle on the hill

by Anonymous



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Kissing, M/M, Masquerade Ball, Niam - Freeform, prince!liam, prince!niall
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-17
Updated: 2017-01-17
Packaged: 2018-09-18 02:43:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,985
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9362696
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/
Summary: The guests are staring.He finds he doesn't really care.His heart is beating excitedly in his chest as the man in front of him holds out his hand and slightly bows."Your Highness."Niall extends his hand and the man stands from his slight bow, bringing Niall's hand up kissing the back of it. His lips stay on Niall's skin for a few seconds longer than strictly necessary and Niall's cheeks heat up again.





	

The last notes of a classical song rang through the air and he smirked as he leaned back against the stone pillar he'd been hiding at for the better part of the evening. Couples broke apart, some changing partners and some leaving the large dance floor to either get some air or get some form of refreshment. His blue eyes flickered over the intricately masked faces and even more intricately dressed attendees. He'd chosen the best vantage point on the ground floor to spy on all the aristocrats in attendance tonight. He was not out in the middle of their view, but he also wasn't hidden in the shadows. He was near a balcony with open doors, and there was a consistent gentle breeze that brought in fresh air so he wasn't breathing in the heavy air of the dance floor.

He brought his drink up to his lips, careful not to hit his own mask with his glass. It was easily one of the more simple masks in the castle tonight. It was a deep blue, like the sky on a moonless night, with light silver accents along the edges. His hair was coiled perfectly atop his head, a small golden circlet artfully nestled in the soft short coif and only visible in quick little sparkles. One wouldn't know he was the Prince of Mullingar from a first glance, but if they looked closer they'd figure it out easily enough. This event was planned for his birthday anyways.

His eyes swept out along the room for a moment and caught on a figure coming down the long staircase directly across the room. He saw many people turn to look up at the new arrival and he felt the corners of his lips twirl up in amusement. Warm brown eyes met his from beneath a silver mask. He quickly looked down into his drink, his cheeks heating up as he tried to fight the large smile that wanted to engulf his face.

He looked up just in time to see the the figure reach the bottom of the staircase and disappear into the crowd. He frowned. There was a gentle cough to his right and he turns to see his mother emerging from the balcony with a knowing grin. His neck and ears turned a matching shade of pink that had nothing to do with the spirits in his glass. He turns his back to the ballroom and faces her easily.

"The boy knows how to make an entrance, I'll give him that." She comments and Niall released a small puff of air in a semblance of a laugh without actually letting loose his loud laugh. He meet's his mothers warm eyes and she winks at him. "I suppose I'd better take that from you." She says, her eyes flickering down to the glass in his hands and he frowns, his brows furrowed in confusion for a moment before someone him clears their throat and he spins around so fast he almost looses his balance.

A large hand comes out and grips his bicep for a moment, stabilizing him before releasing him. He looks up into brown eyes that are silently laughing at him. His mother grabs his glass from his hand, but he doesn't look to watch her do it, his eyes are caught on the partial face in front of him. This close he can see that the mask isn't only silver, it's got dark blue accents on the sides in an exactly opposite colored replica of his own mask. He glances accusingly at his mother for a moment but she's simply smirking at him so he turns back to the man in front of him.

The guests are staring.

He finds he doesn't really care.

His heart is beating excitedly in his chest as the man in front of him holds out his hand and slightly bows.

"Your Highness."

Niall extends his hand and the man stands from his slight bow, bringing Niall's hand up kissing the back of it. His lips stay on Niall's skin for a few seconds longer than strictly necessary and Niall's cheeks heat up again. Those brown eyes are still laughing at him. The man turns to Niall's mother, the Queen and gives her a lower bow.

"Your Majesty."

The Queen raises an eyebrow over her small mask and gives the man her hand. He kisses it too but for far shorter than he had Niall's and her lips curl up as the Queen chances a glance at her son before looking back at the man who stands tall in front of her.

"Prince William, how lovely of you to join us." She says, her voice ringing with amusement and he smiles at her, nodding his head.

"It was my pleasure to attend, your Majesty. I would not have missed tonight for the world." The Prince's brown eyes flicker to Niall and Niall's hands spasm at his sides for a moment before he stops himself from showing too much enthusiasm and jumping at the man in front of him in an attack hug.

He hasn't seen Liam in years, he's been busy getting ready to take the throne out in Wolverhampton, which he'll be doing later in the year near Christmas. He hadn't been able to make it out to Mullingar in the summer's like he used to when he and Niall were children and switching which castle they were at over the summer's.

Niall's mind flickers to the last time he was in Wolverhampton during the summer and he can remember flashes of them running around the gardens playing games with Liam's dogs and their second kiss shared on the sunset of Niall's last night there.

Their first kiss had been in Mullingar the year before.

Niall really wants to kiss him now. They'd been exchanging constant letters but it wasn't nearly enough for the Mullingar Prince. Niall swallows as Liam turns back to him for a moment before looking at his mum.

"Your Majesty, if you wouldn't mind, I'd like to ask your son for a dance."

The Queen waves a hand and escapes back out onto the balcony with a smirk.

"Of course, Prince Liam. Ask away."

Niall turns back from watching his mum walk away to see Liam looking intently at him and he looks down at his hands for a moment. A hand gently comes up and cups his cheek, making him look up again and he sees Liam smiling gently at him.

"I'd rather you didn't look away for now, I've missed your eyes you know. Such a lovely blue." Niall can feel his face heat up and he opens his mouth to say something but nothing comes out.

Liam drops his hand when he sees that Niall isn't looking away from him.

"So, Prince Niall. I know it's certainly a ways into the night, so it technically wouldn't be the first dance of the night, but I was wondering if I could share my own first dance of the night with you?"

Niall gives him a nod and Liam holds out his hand, palm up, and Niall reaches forward to take it. He's then pulled way from the wall and walked through the crowds of guests towards the center of the ballroom. His eyes flicker over the back of Liam's shoulders as Liam leads him into the floor. His eyes catch in the golden circlet nestled amongst Liam's brown locks and he grins.

He's here. He's actually here and he's asked Niall to dance.

Niall suddenly forgets every single dance lesson he's ever received.

Liam grins the few inches down at him like he knows, and he puts one hand on Niall's waist and the other readjusts its' grip on his other hand. Niall's free hand automatically finds its way to Liam's shoulder.

Another songs starts up, something soft and slow with just strings and a piano and Liam leads them around in easy circles in the middle of the ballroom. Niall's eyes dart around Liam's face, taking in the differences in how the Crown Prince of Wolverhampton looks now to how he looked all those years ago when Niall saw him last.

Liam seems to be doing the same with Niall, if the way his eyes never leave Niall's face are any indication.

For one, the Wolverhampton prince is certainly far taller than he used to be, his shoulders are broader and his jaw has widened. But there's still hints of the old prince in his face. Like his eyes, his eyes are the same warm brown, and his smile is the same soft thing that never fails to make Niall's heart flutter.

Niall can't believe his mum made sure that his and Liam's masks were going to match.

The hand Niall has on Liam's shoulder slowly moves as they dance, making its way up Liam's neck until Niall is touching Liam's face with a feather light touch. His thumb rubs along the pronounced line of Liam's cheekbone and Liam leans into the touch till Niall's hand is firmly on his cheek.

"I kind of really want to kiss you." Niall breathes and Liam laughs, his cheeks turning pink under his silver mask and Niall grins up at him.

"Well it's your turn to ask. I asked you to dance." Liam jokes and Niall looks at where his hand is on Liam's cheek, rubbing his thumb along Liam's cheek a moment before looking back up at him.

"May I trouble you for a kiss, your Highness?" Niall asks, tilting his head slightly to the side and looking up at Liam from beneath his lashes and Liam's face impossibly softens.

"It wouldn't ever be a trouble to me, Niall." Liam answers in a whisper before they slowly come to a stop in the middle of the dancefloor and Liam pulls Niall in by the hand he's still got on the shorter boy's waist. Liam's eyes flicker down to Niall's lips for a moment before they're both leaning in and Niall pulls his hand from Liam's grasp to hold Liam's face gently between both hands.

Their lips meet with a soft pressure and it's more like a lengthy peck than any sort of proper kiss, like Niall wants to give Liam, but they're in the middle of the castle ballroom, surrounded by aristocrats and the like and they can't be improper in such company. Their foreheads stay together for a moment and Liam moves his head so that their noses brush in a little nuzzle and Niall grins widely up the boy in front of him.

Niall's hands move from Liam's face to latch together around the boy's neck and he pulls Liam in for a hug. Liam's head turns so he can run his nose along Niall's neck, and his arms are wrapped around Niall's back to pull him close and they stay like that for the last few notes of the song before they break apart.

"I expect you to save me another dance, your Highness." Liam says softly and Niall holds onto his hand for a moment longer before they drift completely apart.

"I expect I'm going to be saving you many dances, Prince Liam." He says back and Liam smiles brightly in answer.

They both take steps back and away from each other, melding into the crowd with surprising ease. Niall can hear a few people whispering about their kiss and he grins, bringing a hand up to touch his still tingling lips.

He returns to his place leaning against the stone pillar he started the night at and he returns to watching the couples come together to dance once more as the band starts up with another song, faster this time.

His eyes catch a set of brown eyes across the room and he feels his smile widen.

He's going to be saving many, many dances.


End file.
